In Ephesians 1:3 Paul says that God has given us “every spiritual blessing.”  One of the greatest of these is peace.  When our tour was in Israel this spring I preached a message to the Jewish believers in Tiberias from 2 Peter 3:14: “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”

In these days of shaking, especially for the Jewish believers in the north of Israel, within range of the Hezbollah rockets, this is quite a challenge.  However, I believe peace in our hearts and minds is one of the spiritual blessings that is our inheritance.  We need to believe God and trust Him in these days.  This is God’s heart for His sons and daughters. He has given ample provision.

There is another aspect of this we see in Isaiah 48:17-18.  Isaiah was a prophet to Israel as she was rebellious and under military threat from Assyria.  He warned that Babylon would also be a threat if things didn’t change.  All this is not unlike the times Israel lives in today.  Let’s see what Isaiah 48:17-18 had to say to them:  “Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:  ‘I am the Lord you God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.  Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!  Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.’”

There is much here for us too.  God’s desire is that we should profit and have peace like a river.  The key?  Obey His commandments.  Today, in your trial He is speaking to you.  In this challenging season of economic shaking and uncertainty, He is speaking to you.  You need to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit for your personal life and obey.

Once again our Christian walk can be boiled down to this:  TRUST and OBEY.